South Korea goes to Round of 16 clash with Italy in Daejeon, which they won 2-1 after striker Ahn Jung-hwan headed a golden goal past Gianluigi Buffon three minutes before the game went to penalties. Italy had been underwhelming all tournament despite boasting the talents of Maldini, Cannavaro, Totti, Nesta, Inzaghi, Materazzi, Vieri and the like, but the manner of their defeat left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans and the establishment back home.
the Italians fell victim to an unbelievable litany of refereeing errors. Francesco Totti was harshly sent off for diving; Damiano Tommasi had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside; Choi Jin-cheul two-footed Gianluca Zambrotta and Kim Tae-young threw an elbow at Alessandro del Piero without consequence, even if the Italians were less than blameless in the rough and tumble of the game.
